Pages

Our Fabulous Night

Posted by
andreaooten
at
8:55 AM
Friday, April 30, 2010

Well, I have been proven wrong... and I'm happy about it for the first time ever. :) My daughter is not overly-spoiled to the point that she can't appreciate the little and big things in life. She stood speechless after last night's concert.

Bailey had a fabulous time at the Taylor Swift concert. Honestly, I don't think she'll ever forget it. It was amazing. Spectacular. Fabulous. Wonderful. Incredible. I can't find enough words to describe how perfect it was.

We got there early to go and eat at the food court... nothing like Arby's before a concert. lol. At about 6:45, we made our way into the arena to find a t-shirt, get our cotton candy or popcorn (she hadn't decided just yet which one), a drink, make a bathroom stop, and make the way down the long set of stairs to our seats. We were on the floor... something I've only done once at a major concert. So, needless to say, I was pretty pumped about it, with the exception of walking all those stairs with my hands full and a five-year old girl in tow.

We got all of our stops in, after waiting in a very long line for a t-shirt. I was praying the whole time that they wouldn't run out of youth sizes before we got up there. Fortunately, we were able to get one. And, for everyone's information, Bailey bought the shirt with her birthday money... another thing I was impressed with and happy about. She didn't even seem to mind that we were using her money. She also offered to buy our dinner. :) Sweet, huh? I told her to save it for her shirt, of course. Don't worry... she's asked me twice already to make sure I don't forget to put the rest of her money back into her piggy bank. lol.

Anyway... we make our way down to the floor and find our seats. I'm pretty excited when I see that we aren't far from the stage... less excited when I see that the sound equipment and some other things are right in front of our seats, blocking our view. The two ladies beside of us were equally peeved. Bailey would have to stand in her seat to see anything and most likely, I would end up holding her. Not something that's easy to do when your five-year old weighs nearly 50 pounds. So, we were sitting there commiserating with our neighbors when the staff/security guard told us to pay more attention to what was on the other side of that "fence" in front of us. We looked... there was a small stage... perfect for Taylor and a guitar. We all freaked out like little five-year old girls... jumping up and down and dancing in circles. Yes, that was me. :)

Needless to say, when the concert began, we were on our feet right against that fence, waiting for her to come to us. I held Bailey, which was exhausting, but totally worth it to see her face. We used said fence to prop a lot of her weight for a big part of the evening. Imagine how excited she was when Taylor walked up on that stage in front of us... we could have reached out and grabbed her guitars... we were only about 10 feet from her for two songs. It was truly incredible. Before she went back to the main stage, she made her way around to touch hands, give hugs, etc. Bailey got to touch her hand and was given a guitar pick with Taylor's picture on it. I went as nuts as any little girl, but Bailey was awestruck. She was speechless... for the very first time in her life!

The concert went on to include paper hearts being shot out of a cannon which was right in front of us, covering us with the hearts. Bailey was adorable when she looked up and asked me how it was raining hearts. She picked up fistfuls of them and stuffed them in my purse to take home. And took other fistfuls and threw them in the air, dancing under them as they fell. She was amazed by the lighting and the loudness of it all. She truly enjoyed being able to scream as loud as she wanted without me telling her to quiet down. She marveled at the fire on the screens behind the stage, confirming with me that the fire was not real, but just looked it. And then... Taylor sang her final song. And water, as in sheets of water with the word NO imprinted in them, came down. Bailey couldn't believe it. She asked me how it could be real... then told me she knew it was real... Taylor was drenched.

When we left, I was high on life. Bailey was too. I asked her what her favorite part was and she said, "All of it... it was all awesome, mom." :) She was right... I couldn't pick one thing out of the concert that was the best... it was truly incredible. And I was so proud that my little girl realized how wonderful it was.

I have to say before closing this, that I would have on my "bucket list" to take Bailey to this concert. And it's definitely something I'm keeping on the list. We will go back to see her next time she comes here. She is amazing. And, you know, there is more to her than just the music and the lights. She was truly touched by the fans. I'm not sure if she is just a great actress or if she's genuine, but she seems to appreciate the screaming fans more than any other artist I've seen. She seems to get it that her fans are not all adults or teenagers, but five-year old girls with dreams and fantasies of fairytales. She seems to realize that touching her fans' hands, waving at them, hugging them, and all of that is what makes the concert go from good to great. And, I have to say that I hope Bailey sees her as a role model as she grows. This chic seems to get it that she doesn't need a man to make her who she is, but she still has hopes and dreams of finding real love with someone who respects her and treats her good. That's what I want Bailey to be like... independent and strong, but open to having her heart broken in hopes that she will find the one person that gives her a fairytale.